


Edducation

by synystermoxley



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Abusive Parents, Dubious Consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-11 00:19:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17436272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synystermoxley/pseuds/synystermoxley
Summary: Double D has the hard task of tutoring Eddy's big brother. Will he be able to teach an old dog some new tricks or will the young man end up mauled?(BPS never happened.)





	1. Chapter 1

There was something extremely depressing about staring at old posters in the bedroom. There was a lot of embarrassing bands Terry grew to hate as he matured, some extremely edgy ones that would make any full grown adult roll their eyes. He sure as hell knew Limp Bizkit would make anyone with at least one brain cell cringe.

Everything was just too reminiscent of days he would've much rather kept buried away in the deepest corners of his mind where all embarrassing preteen memories belonged. From the pictures of scantily clothed women to the embarrassing date tally on the wall. It all just felt weird to him now after living independently for the past few years.

Terry shifted on the bed, deciding to stare at the hackysack in his hands.He started throwing it up and catching it in his hand. “Fuckin’ great….” He rasped, any semblance of a life was falling apart the past few months. Who knew forgetting turn off the stove before heading out to work was going to ruin his life like this. He grimaced, remembering how he watched the trailer burn down with most of his belongings.

His dad was way too happy having him back at the house. He cringed, the man made any thing he deemed as important into a big event so as soon as he arrived he was welcomed with balloons and other shit he was too pissed to notice. Having to move back after his home turned to ash and quitting his job wasn't something to really celebrate. His mom looked just as annoyed but he knew it was because of his presence. The old hag was never good at hiding her contempt for him. He was mommy's biggest mistake after all and the only satisfaction he got from moving back into the dump was knowing his presence would permanently ruin the bitches mood.

“Ugh, same old shit.” He threw the hackysack against the wall, punching the mattress underneath him. He tugged at as unkempt hair and groaned. It was going to take months to leave. Hell, maybe even a year with the way things were going for him.

He looked at his hand, noticing it got covered in black oil and grease after running it through his hair. He was still dirty from work but he was too tired to bother getting in the shower after he got home.

He managed to get himself a job at an auto repair and every day at the place was pure misery. It was fucking depressing to admit he wanted to hear kids screeching their heads off instead of dealing with cars. He liked cars, motorcycles and all that shit but hated working with them. It just reminded him how his dad kept trying to get him interested in working at the dealership when he was pipsqueaks age.

He groaned, he thought he managed to escape his home and all it’s bullshit.

“Terence!!”

Terry gritted his teeth at the high pitched shout. He loved his dad but his voice was like nails on chalkboard, easily made him irritable and put him in a bad mood. You would think the big guy would have a gruff intimidating voice but it was from that.

“Damn, Pa! I ain't fuckin’ deaf!” He snapped, sitting up on the bed and glaring at the bolted door. “Whaddya want?! Yer screaming your head of like a freaking banshee!” He waited for an answer, just getting his name called out again. He groaned, jumping off the bed and unlocking his door before storming downstairs. He didn't bother throwing on a shirt or shoes, he stopped at the last step and blinked when he saw his family sitting at the couch, heads turning and staring at him. “Oh, no, no, no.” Terry turned to leave. Hell, no. He knew what this was and he wasn't in the mood.

“Terence!” His dads voice called again, making him flinch slightly.

Ugh, no, why?

“I ain't putting up with this bullshit, Pa.” Terry grumbled, he was too familiar with these interventions. The last time they decided to pull this type of shit on him was when he was expelled from school for selling his meds. He got kicked out not too soon after that incident.

“Yeah, you are, or all your crap is going outside tonight.”

If his dad's voice drove him crazy, his moms voice made want to turn into a serial killer.

Terry glared at the old hag from over his shoulder, half tempted to test his luck by just going back upstairs but he couldn't risk getting kicked out when he had no where to crash at. “Alright, Linda,” He spat the old hag’s name like it was poison.

He sat at the sofa, looking at the trio that was staring so intently at him from the couch. Pipsqueak was sandwiched between their parents, the teen looking back and forth between them with a concerned look. The runt always looked like a scared mouse whenever he got near him. He found it kind of amusing how scared he made his brother.

Or maybe he was just scared of Linda. God knows the women seemed terrifying to him with how built she was when he was Pipsqueaks age. His dad, Frank, and Linda kinda looked like they swapped role. Linda was pretty masculine, intimidating with her size and always dressed like she was ready to hit the gym with the tracksuits and short hair. Frank, on the other hand, was slender, not a twig but not huge either. He looked like a nerd, glasses and tacky clothes included. The only dad thing he had going was the moustache and receding hairline.

Terry crossed his arms against his chest, sighing at the long awkward silence and slouching in the chair. “So, we just gonna have a starin' contest? Cus' I'm tellin’ ya the old bitch is winning.” Linda had such a scornful look that he was surprised the fatass hadn't lunged at him yet.

"Terenc--!" Frank was interrupted.

Eddy was tugging at the slender mans sleeve. “H-He doesn't like it when y-you call him that…” Eddy squeaked, usually loud voice low and quiet.

Frank sighed and Terry smirked at Pipsqueaks weak attempted to suck up.

“R-Right, B-Bro?” Eddy stuttered, twitching nervously and biting his nails.

“Sure is, pipsqueak, good boy.” Terry praised, maybe, just maybe he wouldn't terrorize the runt for tonight. “So, Pa, what were you gonna say?”

Frank rubbed his temple and went back to looking at his eldest boy. He straightened his tacky floral shirt and went back to being calm and composed. “Remember you told me how it felt being back home?"

Oh boy.

“And I told your mother what you told me about feeling kinda down and stuck.” Frank looked at his wife who just kept giving Terry a cold glare.

Terry was sure that all he told his dad during breakfast a day ago was that he was annoyed with everything when asked how he felt being back at home. He was guessing Linda was thinking he was just hanging around to mooch off and Frank was trying to stick up for him and make him look good.

A nice gesture but this whole mess just made him feel 14 again. His dad defending everything he did and his mom ready to beat him. The only difference now was that Linda knew her lard ass wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with him now.

“Sooo…?” Terry scratched the stubble on his cheek and tapped his foot impatiently.

Frank smiled nervously, the man looking a lot like Pipsqueak when he messed up and had to explain himself.

“I thought maybe you could do something with your free time? I heard there’s programs for kids like you to finish up school and such.” Frank looked at him with a sweet smile.

Terry blinked, sighing and not getting a chance to speak yet.

“Listen, ok? Maybe getting focused on something will help you, champ? You'll get out of the house and maybe meet new people.” He tried to explain. “Stop moping around and locking yourself up.”

Terry dragged his hands over his face, he wasn't having this conversation again, not 9 years later. “Pa, first of all, I ain't a kid, I'm 25 years old. That's pipsqueaks title not mine.” Terry said through gritted teeth.

“I'm 15!”

“Shut it, pipsqueak!” Terry snapped, both his Dad and Eddy shared the same annoying voices and it drove him crazy whenever they raised their tone. He kept glare on his brother, Eddy realizing he fucked up and quickly covering his mouth.

Linda seethed, whispering something in Eddy's ear that made the runt jump up and run up to his room.

Always protecting the little shit.

“Your not his father. You don't raise your damn voice at him or your father, understood?” Linda growled at his son.

Terry rolled his eyes and yawned. The amount of times he heard that growing up was so ridiculous that it just became one of those annoying sounds he would tune out. He decided to turn his attention to Frank like Linda never said anything. “Second of all, I aint going back to school. You gonna pay for that shit? I aint got the money for it.” Terry knew it had to cost big cash to finish up school at his age. Cash he couldn't afford to spend when every dime was being saved up for his new apartment. He planned to get far away from Peach Creek so he never had to see his family again.

Frank held his wife back when she got up, grabbing her wrist and using most of his strength to keep her from getting in Terry's face. “Stop it! We were supposed to talk to him to yell at him, Linda!” He shouted at his wife.

Linda yanked her arm free a little too roughly and nearly made her husband fall face first off the couch. “Your _boy_ don’t listen that way! He never does!” Linda snapped.

“His boy, huh?” Terry got up, getting in the tall woman's face and clenched his fists. “You gonna make me listen? Huh? You gonna make me fucking listen?!” Terry shouted back. “I know how you like making me listen…” He growled, smacking his own cheek and jutting his chin out. “Come on you bitch! Make me fucking listen!” He screamed, face bright red. He had it up to here with the woman and couldn't hold back his anger anymore. He thought getting verbally degraded every day was over a long ass time ago.

The room fell silent, Terry's eyes wide and wild as he stared at his mom dead in the eyes.

He couldn't even hear his dad begging for them to stop.

“What's the point?” Linda stepped back but never teared her eyes away from the furious glare. “Why bother? A useless _bum_ never changes.”

What?

Terry’s fists were so tightly clenched that his nails were digging deep into his palms. “Shut up! I've been working my ass of for years!” He was trying hard not to start swinging. He knew that any other teenager that got kicked out like him could've ended in some really messed up shit but he didn't. It was hard finding where to go when he couldn't even drive yet but he found something at Mondo-a-go-go.

“Look at yourself, Terence, working hard my ass. You've never had any fucking goals. All you’re good at being is trailer park _trash_. A fucking _slob_ that just comes home, wastes his hours away scratching his ass and sleeping. You're _disgusting_ , Terence.” Linda fired back, tone bitter and angry. She shoved her finger in Terry's chest and smirked when Terry smacked her hand away.

“Shut up!” Terry shouted again, anger making him tremble.

“You know what? You aint gonna do shit because you're a _useless_ little shit. You can't finish up school, you don't got the brains for it. You're embarrassing.” Linda hushed her husband when he tried to get her to stop talking. “You're just pissed you'll never amount to anything. You'll just be that _brainless deadbeat_ no one wants to bother with. When have you ever finished any of the bullshit you tried to do? Always wasting our damn time.”

Terry got back in the hags personal space, grabbing the collar of her sweat shirt. “Shut.your.mouth!”

Linda grabbed Terry's face, squeezing hard and easily shoving her son away.

“Just look at yourself, you can't even bother with some basic hygiene.” Linda wiped off the grease that got on her hand from the dirty face on her jeans. “Just go to your room, _boy_ , throw a fit like ya always do.” She slapped him across the face.

Terry wasn't sure why such a weak push made him back off. He was stronger than the bitch, he was sure of it. It pissed him off. A grown man was obviously stronger than big old slut.

Terry glared at his sneakers, resisting the urge to rub his cheek and trying hard not to tackle Linda. He could do it and he wanted to but something in him made him freeze up whenever he got the chance to.

“Fine.” Terry spoke dryly.

Frank rushed over to check on him and Terry gently moved his fussing hands away.

“I'll fucking do it.” Terry grunted, he hated the idea of having to do shit he wasn't interested, it was exactly why he was happy about not being around his parents for so long.It was pathetic but he wanted to prove Linda wrong for once. "The school shit...I'm gonna do it." Terry clarified and looked up. He had to, especially after the verbal assault.

“Really?!” Frank gasped, making Terry role his eyes.

“Mmhm…” Terry stuffed his hands in his pockets, giving his mom one last dirty look before walking back up the stairs. “And I'm going to my room cus I want to not because you told me!” Terry shouted.

Fuck her.

The old hag wanted him focused on school since he could remember. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't really surprising both his parents were trying to push him towards getting his education.

Terry was still shaking, fumbling with the knob and locks until he managed to get his door open. He felt eyes on him, looking down the hallway and catching pipsqueak staring. “What the fuck are you looking at?!” Terry screamed, making Eddy run off.

He got in his room, slamming the door behind him and letting out a loud scream. He was too fed up with his shit family and needed to let it all out.

He hated all the stupid shit in his room anyway.

* * *

 

Terry actually had no idea what to do now. It been a week since he decided to do the whole finishing his education shit because he didn't want the old bitch to be right. He wanted the have the upper hand for once. The only problem was all information he gathered from libraries and the peach creek community college led him to the same problem. He needed to pay for tutors or classes and he couldn't cough up much dough. There were also the youth programs at the college but those just seemed to take an eternity and he didn't have the time for that.

He took a swig from his bottle of whiskey, wandering around the house. Both of his parents were working late shifts, much to his relief since he got off work late in the afternoon and only had to see them in the morning. He sat down at the couch, sneakers staining it with dirt. He could give less of a shit if his mom got pissed off about it since he could just put the blame on Pipsqueak.

Terry felt out of place, the house feeling like a distant memory and not a home.

He didn't even feel all that great retreating into his bedroom either, not even after redecorating a bit. A lot of stuff got ruined after his fit of anger a week ago, most of it was unsalvageable and went straight to the garbage. He spent most of the time after that fixing it up to keep his head clear.

He repainted all the walls to black and put a lot of useless crap up in the attic and basement. Only keeping the camel in the room and the Nana Mouskouri poster up, buying a few new cheap posters of bands he actually listened to now to go next to it. Nana actually looked completely out of place in-between the Faith No More and Suicidal Tendencies posters. It gave him a laugh whenever he smoked a little too much. He also put in an actual bed in and put the fridge to use so he didn't have to leave his room to get food when his parents were home.

What if she's right?

Terry scowled, the self doubt pissed him off. He really never did much with his life after getting kicked out when he was 15. Of course, he wasn't going to ever admit it but his stay at the trailer was far from rainbows and sunshine. He had a horrible job, a shitty home and little to no friends, but that was something he got use to since he was a kid. Most socialization he got was at bars, his only good pal Phil and relationships he constantly got out of when they tried getting something serious out of him. Not like he wanted a trailer skank to parade around, he had standards. He’d always been loner, he couldn’t care less when the loneliness never bothered him like Pipsqueak who was always crying for attention. Ugh, he couldn't stand Eddy and his childish shit.

Where was Pipsqueak any way?

Eddy was usually doing something and driving him crazy while doing it with his laughing as he sneaked in and out of the house. Banging on his door or screaming his ear off talking about his shitty scams. The only screaming that Terry could stand was Pipsqueak begging and embarrassing himself whenever he was in the mood to play with the little shithead.

He guessed he could appreciate having a bit of peace for a few hours. He had a long day at the auto shop and his back was killing him.

Terry yawned, dropping the bottle on the floor and passing out on the couch.

And then, not even 20 minutes into his sleep, he heard it.

“Hehehe, see ya tomorrow, Lumpy! Kev sure is a sucker! Ha! Did ya see his face?!”

Shut up! Terry dragged his hands over his face, groaning and turning on his side. He grabbed a cushion, squishing it down on his ear and trying to get back to sleep.

He could hear the dog barking and even more laughter. The dog was a new annoyance in his life with the howling and barking any time he saw someone. He guessed the damn thing was just like his owner with the attention seeking.

Eddy ran off, his footsteps becoming faint as well as the barking.

Terry grumbled, throwing the cushion and hearing it crash into something that hit the ground with a loud shatter. He sat up, roughly rubbing his face and not bothering to look at whatever he broke.

“Aint ever gonna get a fuckin' break am I?” Terry grumbled to himself, sighing and starting to feel claustrophobic even though he was in the large living room.

He got off the couch, walking upstairs with and slipping his box of cigarettes out of the pocket of his black hoodie. He moved one up with his thumb and tugged it out with his teeth.

He walked into his room, opening the window and climbing up onto the roof. He dismantled the brick wall, some times needing an easy escape at night where he wouldn't have to run into anyone downstairs.

He sat down with a grunt, getting a good view of his and the neighbors backyard. He saw Pipsqueak scrambling around on the grass and playfully wrestling with the dog.

Terry pulled out his lighter, lighting the cigarette and letting out a sigh as he let the nicotine do its magic. His fingers playing with the chain attached to his jeans.

He took a drag from his cigarette, watching pipsqueak play around with the dog. He couldn't help but notice how Eddy was sporting brand new clothes. A nice new windbreaker Terry hadn't ever seen before. The little anklebiter had a walk in closet full of’em from what he remembered the few times he walked into Eddy's room. He squeezed his fist, cracking each knuckle with his thumb. He didn't get how the twerp got so much crap he could only dream of having when he was growing up. If he asked for even new gym sneakers he would immediately get a beating.

“What's that mutts name again?” Terry shouted, watching Eddy jump and stiffen. “Pipsqueak, the mutts name?” He repeated himself when Eddy just stared at him like a deer in headlights. He guessed the dumbass didn't notice him until now.

  
Eddy picked up the beagle, petting it and talking to it. “Lupo, dad picked it when we got him from the shelter.” Eddy smiled, the dog licking his face. “He's so smart! Well, I'm his dad so he's gotta have my brain, ya know!” Eddy laughed.

Terry rolled his eyes, flicking the cigarette butt and chuckling when Eddy yelped and backed away like he was aiming at him. “Of course it has a stupid name. You sure it's all that smart, Pipsqueak?” Terry knew his brother was always full of shit.

“Yeah, I'm fucking sure.” Eddy looked insulted, the tone making Terry raise a brow since pipsqueak usually kept it respectful around him. “Bet you a jawbreaker I can get him to do anything I tell him!”

Terry’s eye twitched at the way Eddy snapped at him. He was going to let that one slide but if it happened one more time he would let Eddy know what line he was treading. “Entertain me, runt.” Terry heard an excited cheer. “Aint you a little too old to be begging for candy?” Terry asked, zipping up his worn out hoodie, putting the hood over his head. It was getting chilly but he wanted to see Eddy embarrass himself. It's not like he had a whole lot else to do.

Eddy blushed, toning down his excitement and looking away. “Y-You know I got a sweet tooth, Bro.” Eddy grumbled. “So? I can't put on a show without ya telling me what you want!”

“Ya know one of my girlfriends said the exact same shit once.” Terry teased with a loud chuckle.

“Haha, fucking comedy gold…” Eddy grumbled under his breath. “I'm in stitches.” He put Lupo down.

Terry stopped laughing and glared at Eddy. “Watch that attitude, Pipsqueak.” Terry warned.

Eddy gulped, letting put a nervous laugh. “I'm fucking around with ya!” He let an obnoxiously loud laugh.

Again, it was like nails on chalkboard.

“Shut it! Geez, you'd think puberty would fix that voice of yours.” Terry leaned back, propping himself on his elbows and crossing his legs. He sighed, calming himself and trying to think of a trick for the mutt.

Terry pursued his lips, scratching his goatee. He really wasn’t thinking all that hard. He knew Lupo and the dog never went through any proper training so any trick worked. “Hey, bet that tramp can’t fetch.” He’d seen how Eddy interacted with the dog. Lupo barely listened to anything Eddy said and most of the time the twerp was just chasing after the mutt around the house.

“Ha! That's easy! Better start coughing up jawbreaker money, bro!” Eddy grabbed an old baseball off the ground and chucked it a bit too hard out of excitement.

“Uh huh.” Terry was pulling out another cigarette.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**WHACK!**

 

 

 

There was long silence, only noise being Lupo barking and chasing his own tail.

“Oh fuck…” Eddy looked at the roof, slowly backing away and tripping. His body was trembling, eyes darting around for an escape route.

Terry clenched his face, hands shaking and face heating up as he slowly withdrew his hands and saw blood dripping from his nose.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit…” Eddy’s legs turned to jello from pure fear and he couldn't even bring himself to run from the situation.

Terry wiped his nose off on the sleeve of the hoodie, climbing down from the low roof and stalking towards Eddie.

“Pipsqueak…You better start fucking praying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out the song I'm not a good person by Pat The Bunny. I took a lot of insp from that while writing this. If you're not familiar with my work, I usually suggest a song I listened to while writing at the end or beginning of each chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a bit longer to write than I initially expected. I do want to be consistent but I'm not specifying how often I'll be updating because it takes me time to be satisfied with a chapter. I will try to update as often as I can. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Ow!”

Double D rubbed his shoulder, getting shoved against his locker. He didn't have to glance, hearing an all too familiar cackle booming down the the hallway.

Kevin was acting the same as usual. He was confident the guy got dropped on his head some point during his infancy.

He dusted himself off as if something gross had touched him, walking down the hall and grumbling as eager teens pushed past him to get to the exit. Why did everyone had to act so primal whenever the bell rang? He didn't understand.

“Double D!”

An all too familiar voice screeched, not even getting a chance to turn around before getting tackled. “Eddy! What?!” He shouted, getting Eddy's arms off his neck. He changed his mind, Eddy was the most primal person in the school with they way he liked clinging onto his neck or any of his appendages like some monkey whenever he got the chance.

Eddy chuckled, “Where you going? We gotta catch the bus together.”

Double D sighed, some times he wondered if Eddy liked ignoring him on purpose whenever he talked. “Eddy, I told you I had to go to the library when we were having lunch.” He reminded Eddy, fixing his cap.

Eddy tilted his head, reminiscent of a confused dog. “No you didn't.” He said.

“Yes, I did. You were just too busy sticking straws in every orifice of Ed's face to bother listening to me.” Double D huffed, arms crossed against his chest now.

Eddy started laughing. “Ok, but the look Nazz gave him was gold, sockhead.” He kept giggling.

Double D smiled slightly, it actually was amusing with the way Nazz ended up laughing so hard milk came out of her nose. “I guess, but that's not what we're talking about, Eddy.”

Eddy frowned, hands in his pockets. “But why you gotta go to the fricking library. That brain of yours is already like a massive library of junk." Eddy argued.

That almost felt like a backhand compliment, but Double D decided to take it as a genuine one since he didn't want to sour his mood over Eddy being Eddy.

“I have studying to do. I may be able to retain a vast amount of information in my head but my memory needs some refreshing with our mid-terms coming up.” He straightened out his tie and collar. He couldn't risk forgetting anything he'd learned recently with exams coming up.

“Ugh, why you gotta be such a stick in the mud?” Eddy grumbled, kicking a discarded water bottle on the floor that one of the many teens hurrying out probably dropped. “So what am I supposed to do?” He asked.

Double D felt a pang of guilt, Eddy looking genuinely upset that they couldn't hang out after class. “Um, what about, Ed?” He smiled.

“Ed has wrestling practice on Fridays, doofus, and I'm not in the mood to sit through it today.” Eddy grumbled. “Man, you two always have to pick the best day of the week to do all your crap.” Eddy complained, his voice echoing in the now empty halls.  
“What about me, huh? Scamming people by myself fucking sucks. Now I gotta wait for Lumpy all day so we can have fun with some dumbass kids. ”

Double D was never going to get over how childish Eddy could be. It always ranged from irritating to a bit saddening. Today, it felt like a mix of both.

“The bus is going to leave you behind if we don't start walking.” Double D muttered, getting intelligible grumble from Eddy who started walking. The library was right across the street so Double D didn't need transportation.

Double D wasn't sure how to make Eddy feel any better. He was busy and couldn't really do much about it. “Well, what about bonding with your brother.” He suggested, even though Eddy hadn't introduced him or Ed to his older sibling yet he never stopped talking about him as soon as they got on the bus every morning. It was constant and quite endearing. The stories weren't, but Eddy's enthusiasm while talking about Terry's antics was nice.

There was a drawn out silence before Eddy just let out a laugh. “He's a busy guy, Double D, working and all that responsible stuff. Ed is probably gonna be back home from practice before Terry or my parents get back anyway.” Eddy shrugged. "I'll tell ya this though." Eddy stuck his finger against Double D's shoulder. "My bro would be doing something way cooler than wasting his whole day stuck in a library. When he was our age he was making that bread right after school and wasting it on parties and chicks."

Double D scratched the top of his head and guessed he couldn't really do anything to amend the situation. "Are you forgetting no one wants us at parties after the last stunt you pulled with the punch? I'm surprised no one got sent to the hospital." The event was a disaster, he was miserable the whole night and getting kicked out because of Eddy was the only highlight.

Eddy gasped indignantly. "I was adding flavor to it!"

"Certainly, that's why everyone was throwing up." Double D shook his head.

They got outside, Eddy needing to hurry before he got left behind by the bus.

“Sockhead, just go do your thing. I got some counter-strike and magazines to pass my time with.” Eddy paused for a moment. “This sucks…stop being a nerd.” Eddy complained again, running off and leaving Double D behind.

“Oh dear…” Double D sighed, he didn't like feeling guilty. He just liked having time to himself to just do something he enjoyed that didn't end up getting him nearly lynched by his peers. He always took advantage of the weeks leading up to mid-terms or finals to have a bit of that. Double D was easily getting exhausted after long social interactions. He wasn't sure why his introversion was getting worse but he tried not to dwell on it too much.

He walked down the sidewalk clenching the strap of his messenger bag, crossing the street and running into the library.

* * *

Double D ran his fingers over the book spines, taking out a 9th grade algebra textbook and sticking it under his armpit. He just finished reading a few history books and was now trying to get a few math textbooks to study from. He needed something to occupy his free time with this weekend and he found it impossible to go without brushing up on recent subjects. He wanted to eliminate the minor possibility of failing.

He walked to the table he'd left his bag at, packing his notebooks and pencils. He was a bit lost in his own thoughts, not paying much attention to his surrounding.

“Hey, excuse me.”

Double D froze up when a finger poked his shoulder. No one ever interacted with him at the library before so this was an extremely rare situation.

“Hey, could use some help if you ain't busy.”

“H-Hi…t-there…” Double D barely managed to get the words out, voice low and wavering. He saw a tall man looming over him, not really bothering to look all the way up. He felt small, like a frightened animal ready to run away. It was stupid, he felt stupid and wished he could straighten himself and talk like a normal human.

“What?”

Curses! Did he really talk so quietly he had to repeat himself?  
Double D cleared his throat, giving an awkward smile that showed his braces. “Hello, S-Sir…Do you need my a-assistance?” He talked a little louder but he knew his voice was still embarrassingly quiet. Why was he like this? He knew it wasn't this bad when he was a 12 year old.

Double D watched the man point at the bookshelf he got his textbook from earlier. He didn't understand what he said and it started making him sweat.

What he say? Was it rude for him to ask the stranger to repeat himself? He wasn't sure.

“O-Okay, sir.” What did Double D agree to do? He wasn't exactly too sure.

Double D walked over, thanking God that the man told him what he wanted again.

“There a good book about algebra or whatever in there? I kinda need that. You look like you know which one is best.”

Double D turned his back to the man, grabbing a copy of the same book he'd picked out earlier.

“This any good, kid?”

Why did he need to ask so many questions? Double D wanted the interaction to be over with already so he could go home and just forget this ever happened.

Double D kept his gaze away, refusing to make eye contact and started fidgeting slightly. “I-It's good. I-I got the same copy.” He played with his tie.

“Sick, thanks for the help, sweetheart.” The man hummed, walking away to the check out.

“Y-You're welcome...”

 

Wait?

 

 

_Sweetheart?!_

 

 

No, the man surely had to have messed up. He wasn't a girl, he was a biological male and presented as such.

He never gave off the impression of being a girl. Yes, he acted more delicate and didn't act like a stereotypical boy but that didn't mean he looked like a girl.

This wasn't the first time it happened either.

Every now and then when he had a doctors appointment there had to be that one nurse or doctor that always assumed he was some tomboy.

The Lemon Brook kids that went to the party he got banished from along with his friends also assumed he was a girl. That actually lead to some very awkward and unpleasant interactions.

Double D sulked away from the shelf, not bothering to correct the man now that he was long gone. Not like he had the courage to anyway. He went back to packing his things and wondering exactly what features made the stranger think something so ridiculous. Double D was aware of having a much more delicate facial features and that he hadn't developed as fast as his peers with his voice still being a higher pitch. The thing was Eddy had the same problem. Eddy looked much younger, but he never got confused as being the opposite gender.

It didn't really help his anxiety. He was always fearing that he'd get called a girl or just look like a bumbling nimrod.

The increased anxiety and lack of development to make it clear to adults and peers he was in fact a male was getting exhausting. He thought High School would bring a nice change but he felt that he was some how regressing.

* * *

It's was quite the beautiful day, surprisingly sunny compared to the cold days Peach Creek had been giving them. It was Saturday afternoon, so Double D was positive most teenagers in the vicinity were either around the cul-de-sac or downtown at the shops. The poor clerks, they had to deal with a lot of messes whenever everyone got a little too rowdy.

Sadly, it was day Double D couldn't enjoy. He really couldn't enjoy his usual leisurely activities when he had his mid-terms coming up soon. Sure, he was probably studying earlier than he was supposed to compared to his peers, about 2 weeks in anticipation, but he couldn't risk his grades dropping.

Double D flipped through his Algebra textbook, highlighting important sections. He wasn't really struggling with anything, he understood subjects that were far more advanced for his grade level. He just needed to refresh his memory and try memorizing the information.

He wrote down a problem from the textbook, yawning and staring at the paper for an ungodly amount of time. He zoned out, eyes feeling heavy and head slowly falling, crashing against the notebook. “Sleepy…” He murmured, eyes closing.

**BANG BANG BANG**

Double D's head shot up, losing his balance on his chair and falling on his behind. “A binary operation is commutative if changing the order of the operands does not change the result!!” Edd shouted, blinking and looking around his room in panic. He rubbed his eyes, yawning again and stretching. How embarrassing, he'd fallen asleep.

**BANG**

And rudely awakened as well.

“Ouch! Will ya stop poking my eye, Ed?!”

“But, Eddy it--"

Double D sighed, tiredly rubbing his face to wake himself up. He got up and looked at his watch, surprised that he had spent 4 hours brushing up on Algebra. All time was precious, not wanting to waste it and end up messing up. He couldn’t go falling asleep like that again after pulling all-nighters. His parents expected excellence and he didn't plan on letting the two down. He already had the bitter experience with the 8th annual spelling bee and he never wanted to experience something so atrocious again.

Double D straightened out his polo shirt, brushing out any wrinkles and fixing his collar. He grabbed his baseball hat off the desk, brushing it and smiling fondly at it. It was gift from Eddy, his friend deciding to give it to him after his old beanie was starting to tear at the seams from years of use. It was a rare gesture from Eddy, he appreciated it. Double D knew he wasted good portion of his earnings on it.

It made him feel a bit more guilty that he'd been neglecting his friends.

“Sockheaaaad!”

Double D jumped, snapping out of it and putting the hat on. He was still tired and getting easily distracted. “Coming!” He rushed downstairs so Eddy would stop with all the racket. He could hear him pounding his fist on the door and he really hoped he wouldn't damage it or leave the glass dirty with his hand prints.

Double D opened up the door, smile falling when he saw the black eye Eddy was sporting. “Oh dear! What happened to you?!” He reached out to examine Eddy's face.

Eddy sighed when Double D grabbed his face and started checking, growling at Ed when tried to give the eye another poke.

Ed pouted angrily, crossing his arms against his chest. “How come Double can touch and I can't?” Ed whined.

Eddy groaned, shoving the hands away and backing off so no one could keep touching his face. “What am I? A freakshow to you, dickheads?! Stop touching me!” He stomped his foot on the ground.

Double D sighed, crossing his arms against his chest and deciding he wouldn't like getting handled like this either if he had an injury. The concern he felt just made him instinctively check on Eddy like a mother hen. “Could you at least explain, Eddy? A hematoma of that size is quite concerning.” He never liked seeing either of the two hurt, it always made him feel like he got hurt too.

“A hema-what-now?” Eddy tilted his head, screaming loud protests when Ed suddenly yanked him.

Ed hugged Eddy, making him gasp for air. “Oh no! Eddie is getting the virus from Attack of the Killer Shroom Pores! His eye is gonna grow and grow and then pop everywhere!” He exclaimed, shaking Eddy's short frame in a way that even made Double D dizzy from just watching.

Although it still made Double D giggle, watching Eddy scurry out of the hug, desperately flailing his arms so Ed would stop grabbing him. Oh my, the two were never going to change, were they? The behavior made it impossible for him to believe they weren't younger.

It looked like things were getting a bit too heated so Double D stood between them, not needing things to escalate any further. “A hematoma is another way to say bruise, Ed.” He explained, ruffling Ed's hair and shaking his head when Ed quickly went back to having his dopey smile.

Double D turned to face Eddy, patting his shoulder and shaking him lightly so he would stop with the scowling. “So how exactly did you manage such a gruesome injury?” He asked, it looked like it was made with a blunt object for it to be taking up so much of the face.

“Ya see, my mom was waxing the floor and I forgot. I ran in the kitchen and tripped." Eddy explained.

Ed furrowed his brow at that. “I thought you said your mom was mopping?”

“Same shit, Ed!” Eddy's face heated up and he stomped his foot down.

Double D scratched his head and sighed. This was starting to become some what tedious with the bickering between the two. “How have you two managed to survive without fighting? I'm mildly absent for a few days and you two turn into bombs.” He crossed his arms.

Eddy grumbled, fixing his hair that got messed up from Ed manhandling him. “Well, we've been too busy scamming Kev. It's been a riot, Double D, you're really missing out!” Eddy walked up to one of Double D's windows and made sure his hair was back to normal. To Double D, the hair usually looked like a birds nest with or without maintenance.

“Eddy, you know my time has been limited as of late.” Edd was upset, he would love to do their usual shenanigans. He just didn't have the time or energy as of late. Things kept popping up the days he could hang out with his friendd. If it wasn't the studying, his parents would need him running errands.

Though, he honestly had days he rather be to himself. He wasn't sure if it was selfish the way he got exhausted and made up excuses to stay at home.

Eddy crossed his arms and looked away with a huff. “Ed, Double D is starting to forget about us.” He dramatically put the back of his hand on his forehead, twirling and falling into Double D's arms.

“Double D!” Ed wailed, hugging Double D's neck and making him choke for air.

“Eddy!”

“Woe as me, a textbook has robbed us of our friendship!” Eddy kicked his foot up and leaned further into Double D's space.

“Algebra…that filthy skank!” He howled.

“Stop it! You're making a scene on my property and the neighbors won't be pleased!” Double D's family already got enough noise complaints. He didn't need to get grounded for getting the 3rd time in one month because Eddy liked being scandalous.

“Oh!” Eddy howled, voice going louder and echoing through the streets.

“Double Deeee!” Ed cried, grip getting tighter and awkwardly craning Double D's neck to the point it was getting strained.

“Alright, enough!” Double D shouted, whacking the two away and glaring at them when they started laughing. “I don't know what you two have planned for today but fine! I'll join in if you stop embarrassing yourselves.” Double D fixed up his outfit and hat again. His khakis got crinkled, he scowled and resisted the urge to run back inside to change them.

Eddy grinned, Ed smiling back at him and clapping his hands together in excitement. “See, Lumpy? Oldest trick in the book and he always falls for it!” Eddy laughed.

Double D rolled his eyes, it seemed almost impossible not too with how embarrassing the little act always was.

He locked the door behind him, hoping his friends wouldn't be keeping him for too long. Though, he knew they would, so he didn't bother telling them he needed to be back home in an hour or two so he could get back to his books.

He guessed tonight he had to pull another dreadful all nighter.

“So what exactly are todays plans? Will you two continue scamming Kevin? What have you two been tormenting the poor sap with any way?” Double D asked, walking next to Eddy who was just laughed mischievously. It had only been a week but he truly missed his best friends playful nature.

Why was he so tired then? He liked being with his friends.

Eddy started walking backwards, hands in his pockets and big grin spreading across the cheeks.

“Ok, ok, but don't start yelling at me and shit. I needed to pull a really good one on him!”

“Oh dear.”

Eddy's excitement and giggling increased. That was always a big sign he did something ridiculous or horribly messed up.

Eddy looked around, making sure no one could hear him. “See, looks like Kev is getting into the good old mary jane, ya know what I mean?” He whispered.

Double D stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide as he stared at Eddy.

“Eddy…”

“Little Eddy is selling weeds, Double D!” Ed laughed.

“Eddy!”

“Wait, wait! Cool it!” Eddy tried to calm him. “Lumpy hasn't let me finish, ok?” He chuckled. He stopped walking, Edd crashing into him. “You know me! I don't mess with that stuff. You kidding? My parents would kill me!”

Double D had his hands on his hips, staring down at Eddy and tapping his foot. “Get on with it…”

Eddy digged into his pocket, pulling out a tiny plastic bag and passing it to Double D. “Look.” Eddy’s excited look wasn't going away and Double D wasn't sure if that was reassuring or not.

Double D stared at the bag in Eddy's hand whacked the wrist. “I am not touching that, Eddy!” He snapped.

“Oh my god, sockhead! Just grab it and take a whiff!” Eddy shouted in frustration, shaking his head as Double D took the bag. He started rubbing his wrist, wincing at the nasty red mark.

Double D was hesitant, opening the tiny bag and smelling it. His brow furrowed at the familiar odor, sniffing again and letting out a loud sneeze when some of the contents went up his nose. “Oh my lord, this is oregano.” He sneezed again, getting a bless you from Ed.

Double D rubbed his nose, resealing the small ziplock bag. He put it in his pocket, getting a loud whine from Eddy.

“Awe come on! It's not like it's real, Double D! Why gotta suck the fun outta this?” Eddy glared. "I got a nice windbreaker outta this! Shovel chin pays me too well for that shit." Eddy tugged on the jacket to show it off.

As fun as it sounded pulling this type of stuff on Kevin, Double D didn't think it was the best way to do it. “Are you two insane? What if he starts telling other kids to buy stuff off you? You won't only be getting a beating from Kevin but from a bunch of angry kids not getting what they want.” Double D explained, shaking his head at the angry pout on Eddy’s face. “Also you don't want to be known as some sort of low life dealer, do you? You're just giving Kevin more fuel to talk ill about you, Eddy.” He knew his friend hated being ostracized and this wasn't going to help.

Eddy was kicking his feet against the sidewalk, grumbling and slouching now. “Yeah, Yeah, you're such a fucking goody two shoes.”

“Does oregano even do anything to the body?” Double D thought out loud, actually finding it quite hilarious Kevin's reaction was purely psychological.

Eddy smiled, looking up from his feet. “Beats me, Sockhead, I sell it to him but I don't see him smoking it. I bet the prick looks like a complete dumbass because he tells me it's the best stuff he's ever had!” Eddy laughed.

“Oh my…” Double D stifled a giggle, not wanting Eddy to think he approved of the little stunt.

“See you think it's funny too!” Eddy pointed his finger in Double D's face. “Right, Ed? You see him smiling!” He looked up at Ed who was giggling.

“Sure is! Look at his dimples, Eddy!” Ed poked his fingers into the small holes om the cheeks. Double D blushed, moving away from the pointing fingers.

“Hey! I do not find this amusing! Not one bit!” Double D argued, crossing his arms against his chest. The nerve they had to always call him out.

Eddy kept laughing, sour mood over not being able to keep up his oregano scam passing rather quickly. “Whatever helps ya sleep at night.” He patted the face and started walking again.  
Double D grumbled under his breath, following Eddy and realizing they were approaching the Sampson residence. “Why are we going to your place, Eddy?” He asked, expecting to do something a bit more exciting than hang around indoors.

“Hm? Oh, I didn't tell ya!”

Oh dear, Eddy was giving him the same mischievous look from earlier. It always let him know Eddy was going to do something that would most likely going to end bad for all three of them.

“Sockhead, You know how my brother moved back in right?” Eddy looked ecstatic as they stood outside the front door.  
That was strange, they usually entered from the back through Eddy’s room. “Hm, it's hard not to when you talk about him everyday at School.” There wasn't a moment he wasn't telling them about something cool Bro did. Again, it was very endearing even though he kind of listened but wasn't very interested in the topics of a lot of Eddy's stories.

Eddy opened his front door, letting Ed and Eddy in first before slamming it shut behind him. “Well, I heard him movin' shit around in his room and I saw him take out a bunch stuff.” Eddy explained, running upstairs and making his friends run after him.

“Oh boy! Is the camel still there, Eddy?” Ed asked excitedly, tongue poking out slightly as he bounced on his feet.

Double D pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing he could get use to Eddy's ridiculous ideas. “Isn't this an invasion of privacy, Eddy? Is your brother ok with this? I severely doubt it with the way he had the room bolted up.” He still felt horrible that Eddy practically destroyed the door to get in last time.

“I think we should refra—hey!” Double D was left talking to himself, the other two boys already walking into the room.

How rude.

Double D carefully walked in, looking up and making sure nothing was about crush his feet. It was a painful experience he didn't feel like reliving. “Wait, how did you get in so easily?” He was too busy talking to see how Eddy managed to bust into the room.

Eddy twirled a pair of key on his pointer finger with a big grin before pocketing them. “Got them off him when we were play wrestling.” Eddy boasted and started looking around the room. “Looks completely different, don't it?” Eddy started walking around.

Double D had to agree, the walls were all painted black and there were framed posters where a lot of weird décor use to be. It seemed like Eddy's brother took a minimalistic approach this time and it took him a bit by surprise. The way Eddy had described him had him think the room would be filthy, clothes thrown everywhere and a bunch of clutter.

“Camel!” Ed exclaimed, running towards the taxidermy animal. Double D couldn't help but smile, the big guy got excited over the simplest things.

He kept walking around, curiosity getting the best of him now that he was surprised by the amount of organization in the room. “Eddy, this is quite interesting. Are you sure you're both related?” Double D joked, getting a glare from Eddy who was looking through drawers.

“Hey, my room is always tidy. You guys just see it when I haven't fixed it up.” Eddy grumbled, bored look on his face since he couldn't find anything fun.

“Mm hm, I bet that's exactly it.” Double D giggled, watching Eddy walk over to the closet.

Double D was about to follow him, not all that interested in touching anything in the room or sticking his nose where it didn't belong but a bookshelf quickly caught his attention and he walked over to it. “Your brother reads?” He asked Eddy.

“No, he likes the books cus they look pretty and taste good. Waddya think, Sockhead? Of course he reads. It's fucking boring too so I just never talk about it!” Eddy yelled, voiced muffled now that he was in the back of the closet. “What's more interesting? Books or party stories?” Eddy asked, pausing for a moment. “Don't answer that.”

Double D decided to ignore Eddy, he was starting to get a bit obnoxious and he didnt want to deal with it.

He was looking at the book spines and realizing most of them were horror novels. “This isn't boring at all, Eddy.” A lot of Stephen King but he did notice other authors like Ramsey Campbell and Peter Straub, it was interesting. He never had much interest in horror but knowing a man that Eddy described as a rebellious party animal was interested in reading was very unexpected. Most of the room had him a bit confused, the band posters weren't shocking nor were the many CDs of music mother would shriek at him if he ever dared listening to. It was the order, simplicity and lack of anything whacky like last time they were in the room.

“Man, this blows.” Eddy had a scowl, hands deep in his pockets as he shot the bookshelf a dirty look. “Ugh, maybe he really did lose all the cool stuff in the fire. All this stinks!”

Double D couldn't blame Eddy for feeling disappointed. The room took a drastic change and it posed a lot of questions. It had the bare minimum, almost feeling like a guest room and not a bedroom. “Well, I think reading is quite interesting, Eddy.” Double D tried to cheer his friend up.

“Yeah, of course ya fuckin' think it is.” Eddy said.

“He has some pretty intriguing book in there. Straub and Camp-

“Look at my face, Double D, and read my lips. I don't fucking care about some cruddy books.”

Double D huffed, feeling slightly offended Eddy thought his interest in literature was so boring. “Your brother may not have the most refined taste but at least it's something. With the amount of admiration you have from him I'm surprised you haven't learned a thing or two from him.” Double D stumbled when Eddy got in his face.

“I don't gotta do everything he does! I'm not him!” Eddy snapped, making Double D blink since he didn't expect the anger.

“I didn't say that, Eddy.”

Eddy backed off, going back to sulking and looking like a bored puppy. “Yeah, whatever, Sockhead. Let's get going now."

 

 

 

“What the hell are you ankle-biters doin' in my room?”

 

 

 

Double D and Eddy stiffened at the adults voice, slowly turning their heads and blinking like a frightened raccoons caught digging through garbage.

Double D let out a pained yip when Eddy grabbed onto his arm and squeezed tight. “Uh, g-greetings?” Double D muttered, flinching when there was a loud crash followed by Ed's even louder laughter. He fearfully looked over and yanked on his hat when he saw that Ed managed to knock the camel over. He watched Ed walk over, wearing the camel's fez hat on his head.

How embarrassing.

Double D could feel Eddy squeezing tighter and he gently pried the hand off when the nails started digging in. There was a tense feeling with the way things had fallen silent and it was quickly becoming unbearable.

He nervously looked over at Terry again and took a moment to actually look at the rugged face. His eyes squinted, then widened when he realized he’d seen him before. It was rather brief, Double D helping him find a book at the library not too long ago. He was surprised, wondering exactly why he needed that algebra book that day. He was the last person he would expect to see at the library now that he knew who he was. Well, now he knew he liked reading but it was still a bit odd he'd need 9th grade algebra book.

He also wondered if he left an awful impression. Terry probably thought he was some awkward idiot who couldn't speak properly.

Double D gulped, no one was making a move to stop the tense silence. Eddy using him as a shield and Ed adjusting the fez on his head. Double D took in a deep breath and mentally repeated to himself that he could do this. He was never awkward when his friends were near.

He couldn't exactly explain to himself why though.

Double D walked up to Eddy's brother, shyly outstretching his shaking hand and giving a weak smile. “I'm Edd and he's, um, well he's Ed too. The one who knocked over the c-camel, I mean, not your brother.” Double D was sweating, anxiety always got a bit more annoying when he had to introduce himself. He didn't have this much difficulty interacting with people before, it had just gotten worse with the years and he had to admit he was really despising it. “I-I don't think you recall it but we m-met already. W-We didn't properly introduce ourselves bu--"

“Yeah, you're the one that helped me pick out that algebra book.” Terry grunted, firmly shaking Double D's hand. The strong grip was probably going to leave his hand aching for a while. “So, Pipsqueaks got a smart girlfriend?” He laughed, Double D and Eddy's faces heating up.

Eddy growled, face so bright red he almost looked like a tomato. “That's a guy, bro, and he ain't my girlfriend!” Eddy shouted.

“G-Girlfriend?” Double D stuttered, frowning now that he knew Terry genuinely confused him as the opposite gender. He tugged his hat down until it was covering his eyes. How often did this have to keep happening?

“Oh…” Terry looked over at Double D, smirking when the teen just pulled the cap over his eyes in embarrassment. “So he's your boyfriend. Hey, not that rocking both ways is a bad thing. I hear you get the best of both worlds.” He snickered. “I wouldn't be surprised since you never shut up about him.” Terry shrugged.

“Uughh! Double D isn’t my boyfriend or anything like that stop being gross!” Eddy snapped, flinching when Terry clapped his hands together and cackled.

“I'm just pulling your leg, kid, lighten up!”

Terry walked up to Eddy, putting him in a headlock and ruffling the hair. “What? You can't take jokes anymore, squirt?” He kept rubbing the head until the hair was a frizzed up mess.

Eddy gripped onto the arm, lifted at a weird angle that left only his tip toes on the carpet. “Haha, uh, y-you know I can! I was just p-playing along, ya know.” He laughed, trying to squeeze away.

Ed ran up, grabbing Terry's arm and tugging at it. “My turn!” He tried to place the hand on his head but Terry roughly yanked his arm away.

“Yeah, uh, no.” Terry grunted, letting go off Eddy who unceremoniously fell on his side.

Ed looked at Eddy and giggled when he saw the messed up hair. “You look like a cockatoo, Eddy.” Ed said.

Eddy just glared, grabbing onto Ed's shirt as he got back up on his feet. His hands almost instinctively going into his pocket as he slouched and stared at his brother.

Double D was still embarrassed, lifting the cap up from his eyes and blinking when he realized it was all in jest. He pouted, wiping hair away from his eyes and wondering if he was in need of a hair cut. He didn't want more incidents like these to keep occurring. It was becoming humiliating and he couldn't deal with it any longer.

He felt a shadow fall over him, glancing up and smiling awkwardly at the eccentric man. “Uh, I apologize for intruding your personal space. This must be a huge annoy--"

“Eh, you guys got curious, didn't ya? I bet Pipsqueak showed you around when I wasn't living here.” Terry gave Eddy a glance, his brother forcing a smile and a nervous laugh. “It was a pretty sweet space, wasn't it? I mean, for kid your age. I know Eddy always wanted the damn room even though he has the best one in the house.” Terry gave a crooked smile, fixing the wrinkled collar of his flannel shirt.

“Eddy says it blows now!” Ed exclaimed, getting a hard smack to the back of the head. “What?!” He whined.

“Ed, do you ever shut up!” Eddy shouted, covering Ed's mouth. “I j-just think it use to look a lot cooler.” Eddy tried to clarify.

Terry scratched his neck and rolled his shoulders. “Hm, is that so?” He set his gaze back on Edd. “What do you think, girlfriend?” Terry asked.

Double D blinked, trying to move back a bit now that Terry was invading his personal space. “Me?” He pointed at himself.

“No, the camel.” Terry rolled his eyes. “If I'm looking at ya I'm talking to ya.” He grumbled.

“O-oh, well, I think minimalism is visually appealing. I think it's a lot nicer than clutter and, um, tacky décor.” Double D really liked rooms like this, it actually made him feel a lot more comfortable and at ease.

Terry raised a brow. “So you think my old décor was trashy?” He asked.

“No! I never said that! I-It's a simple preference!” Double D panicked, trying to explain and wishing he didn't come off as rude. The last thing he wanted was to leave a second awful impression.

He already ruined the first one.

Double D stumbled when Terry just gave him a strong pat on the back. “Huh?”

Terry laughed, keeping his hand on Double D's back. “I'm just fuckin' with ya. I ain't surprised you like things all nice and tidy. Pipsqueak says ya gotta label everything when you sleepover.” Terry said, glancing at his brother.

“Uh, y-yes, well um…” Double D kept stuttering, he wasn't use to getting attention like this. “Eddy?” He called out for his friend who just gave him a confused shrug. Oh, wonderful he was stuck in this awkward interaction.

Terry guided him towards the bookshelf, ignoring how Double D was trying to shift away. “Don’t think I didn't hear you talking. Anyone who knows Straub and Campbell are good in book.”

“You like tomato soup?!” Ed gasped. “Me too!”

They all went silent for a moment, staring at Ed who’s ear to ear smile refused to fall. Eddy face palmed, groaning and cursing under his breath.

No one said a word and Double D kind of wished the subject matter had derailed right then and there. It wasn't that Terry was at fault but he just didn't know what to do with himself when people took interest in talking to him.

The subject intrigued him but he couldn't hold an actual conversation at the moment.

Double D glanced at the books, keeping his gaze on them and trying his hardest to avoid eye contact. “I've just heard about them and their works. I haven't really read a single thing by them…” He didn't really ever bother picking up anything in the horror genre. That was something Ed would be more interested in but his friend didn't enjoy anything unless it had pictures in it.

“Man, you're missing out. You know how many nightmares these sons of bitches gave me when I was Pipsqueaks age?” Terry's hand moved up to the back of Double D's neck.

This was a bit nerve wracking. He could barely hold up conversations with strangers and now he was getting touched by someone he barely knew.

“You look like you're into something a little different…” Terry smiled, hand squeezing Double D's neck.

It wasn't a painful, it was gentle. The only problem was how intimidating the man was. Terry had a large presence, a lot of confidence and that just made Double D nervous with his poor social skills.

“Hm, You look like a Tolkien type of guy.” Terry guessed.  
Double D blushed, he did indulge in The Hobbit not too long ago. He loved reading regular science books, but he did enjoy a lot of fantasy books. They helped him distract himself when things got monotonous at home. “I didn't e-expect you out of all people to be into literature. Not with the way Eddy describes you in many of his stories."

Terry let got of Double D, making him let out a relieved sigh. "Man, this aint the only stuff I read. All my other shit got burnt to crisp." Terry frowned.

"That's dreadful." Double D would be heartbroken if his personal posessions got destroyed like that.

“Why don't you two stop yapping about books already?” Eddy interrupted, grabbing Double D and yanking him away from Terry. “Double D, don't you have studying to do? Those finals are creeping up, ya know?” Eddy reminded him.

Odd, Eddy never cared about his studies. Not over an hour ago he was making a scene outside his house over it. He was even whining about it Thursday after school as well. “Hm, I do but I thought you wanted to hang out, Eddy?” He was genuinely confused over the weird shift. "And they're mid-terms not finals." He corrected.

“Yeah, what's with the change of plans, Pipsqueak?” Terry asked, staring down at Eddy.

“…Can we just get going, sockhead? Or do you want to keep making us fall asleep with all that literature crap?” Eddy started yanking Double D's arm, grabbing Ed too and trying to get out of the room.

“Don't be rude, Eddy. Your brother was just trying to talk to us about his interests.” Double D muttered, while uncomfortable with the interest Terry took in him, he actually wanted to discuss books for a bit longer. He just felt incapable of having a decent discussion when he was a nervous mess that couldn't stop being self conscious about every little thing.

“Us? Edd, he was just talking to you! Me and Lumpy were starting to zone out.” Eddy huffed, crossing his arms and leading the way as they headed back down stairs.

That was true and it was bothering Double D he couldn't speak as much as he wanted to. No one found his interest all that interesting and it was just odd listening to someone who had a bit of knowledge on something he liked. It mad him happy and he yearned to just be able to get his words out like he could when he talked to his friends.

“Well, you obviously don’t like reading. We have a common interest so I guess it's normal to have a small chat, Eddy.” There were probably a lot of people in Peach Creek with the same interest in literature but he wasn't good at social interaction unless he was already familiar with people like the kids he grew up around. He use to be in a few clubs in middle school but had to stop attending when his parents got mad about the plants not getting properly watered due to him being more absent at home.

They stepped out to the porch and Double D started shivering when the wind brushed against him. He guessed the nice weather didn't last for too long.

“It's still a snore-fest.” Eddy put the hood of his windbreaker over his head, tightening the strings. Doubld D gave up on trying to explain, Eddy always deciding to be stubborn when it came to listening.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Eddy let out scream. He turned to look at his friend and saw Terry had his hand on Eddy's head.

“Geez, Bro, you trying to kill me creeping up on me like that?! ” Eddy shouted, wincing when the grip on his head tightened.

Terry lightly shook Eddy’s head, keeping him in place and not letting him move. “Remember to get back home early.” Terry patted the head

Eddy gave Terry a confused look, wincing when the man gripped his head again. “W-Why? It's Saturday, man, I got better stuff to do than stare at my walls all day like yo—ow!” Eddy yelped, hand roughly petting his head.

“Because I'm responsible for your ass when mom and dad ain't here.” Terry loosened the grip on Eddy's head.

“You ok, Eddy?” Double D asked, not able to see how hard Terry was gripping his friend.

“I'm fine my eye is just hurtin'.” Eddy grumbled.

“Yes, you're crying like a little puppy.” Ed said, unfazed by the drop in temperature.

“Who the hell are you calling little?!” Eddy shouted indignantly. He backed away from Terry once the man decided to let go and he stood in-between Ed and Double D. “Can't I stay at Double D's place for a bit longer? We're going to study, aren't we?” Eddy looked back and forth between the taller boys.

Ed gave a simple nod. “Yup, we're being good boys.”

Double D stared at that, Eddy never studied and it shocked him how he was able to make in through school all these years without having to be held back. “I suppose…” He sighed, it was going to be a long night.

“See?!” Eddy wrapped his arm around Double D's shoulder and roughly brought him down by the neck. It hurt and Double D was quick at pushing Eddy away before he ended up leaving him sore.

Terry glanced at them, sighing and adjusting his cap. “Fine, need you here before 9, Pipsqueak.” Eddy had a big smile. “But don't forget Uncle is waiting for ya.” Terry smirked.

Double D raised a brow at that, puzzled by what Terry meant by that. He looked at Eddy, about to ask but he let an almost deafening laugh.

“Hahaha! Y-yeah, uncle.” Eddy shook his head, Ed laughing along with him even though he was just as confused as Double D.

“C'mon, boys, l-let's get going.” He chuckled, tears of laughter in his eyes.

Double D was puzzled by what the joke was. He watched his friends walk down the stone path that lead into the sidewalk. “Where are their manners…” Double D walked up to Terry and shaking his hand. “Again, I'm sorry we t-trespassed.” He scratched the back of his head with a shy smile.

Terry let go of the hand and patted Double D's cheek. “See ya around, Girlfriend.”

That was enough.

His face heated up and he crossed his arms. “I-I beg you to stop calling me that.” That came out a lot weaker than he wanted but at least he said it. He refused to be the butt of such an annoying joke.

Terry stared, it looked like he was thinking. Double D groaned when Terry put his hand on his head. “Alright, Princess.” Terry flicked the hat and got back inside the house.

Double D stared at the door, adjusting his hat with a bright blush and stomping away. That was even worse! Terry was confusing, he briefly interacted with him but he just left him with a lot of questions. An odd fellow, intimidating but he was curious about him.

He wasn't going to get answers though. Not with his awkwardness.

Double D looked up, blinking and realizing Ed and Eddy had ran off. “Hey!” He shouted, spotting them far down the sidewalk. “It's my house! Have the decency to wait for me!” He ran and tried to catch up. He groaned when the two laughed, Eddy childishly flipping him off and running even faster.

Now that he thought about it, Eddy probably had a few answers. It was actually the first time he found himself wanting to listen to his stories about Terry.

"Slowpoke! And I'm supposed to be the slow chunky one? Get movin' ya, matchstick!" Eddy shouted, now sitting on Ed's shoulders.

"Why are you even running?!" Double D panted.

It was going to be a very exhausting night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listening to Kids by Current Joys helped me come up with a lot of ideas for this and further chapters.


End file.
